ARTICLE 15: LEAVES OF ABSENCE

Section 1. GAs may apply for leaves of absence pursuant to this article. Each GA shall be entitled to have up to three (3) days of such leave or leaves paid per semester. The remaining portion of leaves taken pursuant to this article shall be unpaid. For GAs on a 20 hour per week appointment, each day of paid leave shall be considered equivalent to four hours work. For GAs on appointments less than 20 hours per week, the daily hour’s equivalent for purposes of this article shall be pro-rated.

Section 2. A GA may request in writing a personal leave of absence from his or her GA appointment for reasons including, but not limited to, illness or injury, immigration hearings, pregnancy, to care for a newborn or adopted child, or to care for an immediate family member (spouse/registered domestic partner, son, daughter or parent of the GA or parent of the GA’s spouse/registered domestic partner) with a serious health condition or for bereavement with respect to such immediate family members. It is the responsibility of the GA to contact the appropriate faculty member or other supervisor in advance of the leave unless circumstances make this impossible. Up to three days of such leave per semester may be taken by the GA as a matter of right. The University may approve additional paid or unpaid leave for such reasons in its sole discretion. If the leave is for twenty-one (21) or fewer consecutive calendar days, the GA will retain health insurance and tuition remission benefits.

Section 3. Upon written application to the University, a GA may request an extended leave of absence from his or her GA appointment in excess of twenty-one (21) consecutive calendar days, but in no event longer than the remainder of the current semester. The University may approve such leave in its sole discretion. If it grants such a leave, the University will determine whether the GA’s stipend, health insurance and tuition remission will be extended for the portion of the approved leave exceeding twenty-one (21) calendar days.

Section 4. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this article, a graduate assistant who gives birth will be granted a leave period of six (6) weeks following natural childbirth and eight (8) weeks following childbirth by caesarian section. The GA’s stipend, health insurance support and tuition waiver will be maintained during such leave (but not beyond the end of the GA’s appointment) and during medically necessary leave prior to delivery that is supported by medical certification. A GA who is the non-birth parent of a newborn or adopted child will be granted a leave of twenty-one (21) consecutive calendar days to care for the child. The GA’s stipend, health insurance support and tuition waiver will be maintained during such leave (but not beyond the end of the GA’s appointment).

Section 5. A GA will be granted a military leave of absence and jury duty leave in accordance with applicable laws and University policy.

Section 6. No leave of absence will be granted for a GA to engage in other employment.

Section 7. While nothing in the sections above concerning leaves from a GA appointment affects a graduate student’s right, if any, to take leave from an academic program, the parties agree that taking leave from an academic program automatically constitutes relinquishment of any GA appointment held by the individual taking such a leave.